Brianna Smith, Author at Legal Reader

Brianna Smith is a freelance writer and editor in Southwest Michigan. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, Brianna has a passion for politics, social issues, education, science, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys the simple life with her husband, daughter, and son.

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BSN Sports Recalls Rubber Toys Amid Concerns of Lead Contamination

August 31, 2018

Parents beware. BSN Sports recently issued a recall of “tens of thousands of rubber critter toys in the shapes of animals” amid concerns that they may be contaminated with “excessive lead levels in their orange and yellow paint.” According to the recall notice, the Farmers Branch-based company sold the “31,200 recalled units nationally through catalogs and online at Amazon.com, Athleticconnection.com, Bsnsports.com, Esportsonline.com and Usgames.com” between February 2017 to June 2018. The recall was announced earlier this week by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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New Orleans Landlord Hit with Discrimination and Harassment Lawsuit

August 31, 2018

Earlier this week, a lawsuit was filed against a New Orleans landlord accusing him of discrimination and sexual harassment. According to the suit, the landlord, Jerry Wayne Kelly Jr., only rented “units to young, attractive women, and even offering to exchange rent for sexual favors.” The complaint itself is more than 20-pages long include allegations that Cashauna Hill, an employee with the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, said are “very concerning.” The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center filed the lawsuit after complaints about Kelly surfaced on social media.

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LA County Pays Record $14.35M to Settle Wrongful Death Suit

August 30, 2018

A $14.35 million settlement was recently reached between Los Angeles County and the family of a man who was accidentally shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy “during a standoff four years ago.” The victim was Frank Mendoza. He was 54-years-old at the time and was standing at the front door of his home in Pico Rivera when the fatal shooting occurred on August 1, 2014.

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Aerosmith Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to President Trump Over Song Use

August 30, 2018

Aerosmith front man, Steven Tyler, does not like that President Trump has been using one of his songs at campaign events, and recently made those thoughts known by sending a cease-and-desist letter to the president. In the letter, Tyler asked Trump to stop using the band’s “1993 hit song ‘Livin’ On The Edge’ at campaign events.” This isn’t the first time an artist has accused the president of using songs without permission, though. In the past, both Neil Young and Brian May of Queen got after Trump for using their songs at campaign events.

Family of Woman Killed in Lancaster County House Explosion Accuses City, Utility Company of Negligence

August 29, 2018

Last year on August 14, 2017, the home of Jeanne Jasa exploded, claiming her life. Now, her children have decided to file a tort claim against the city of “Lincoln, Lancaster County, and natural gas provider Black Hills Energy” for negligently causing the death of their mother. The home explosion is still under investigation and Lincoln police have not ruled out foul play. According to Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister, “his investigators need more time to follow up leads in the case.”

Cargill Beef Recalls 25,000 Pounds of Beef Over E. coli Concerns

August 29, 2018

Are you planning a big Labor Day cookout? You may want to double check the label on your ground beef. According to a recent recall notice, Cargill Meat Solutions recalled more than 25,000 pounds of ground beef products due to “possible contamination with E. coli.” According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Cargill beef was transported to warehouses throughout Colorado and California from a “Cargill plant in Fort Morgan, Colorado.”

Wrongful Death Suit Filed by Family of Woman Who Drowned in a Retention Pond in Carmel, IN

August 29, 2018

Earlier this year on February 27, 73-year-old Nancy Gillett drowned in a retention pond after leaving Bridgewater Healthcare Center on Carey Road in Carmel, Indiana. As a result, her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Hamilton County court “against a grocery store, developer, and healthcare center.” How did she drown, though?

Image of the Atherton Union on the campus of Butler University

Butler University and Campus Fraternity Under Fire in Latest Lawsuit Alleging Sexual Assault

August 28, 2018

In a recent lawsuit filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, a former Butler University athlete alleges the university and a campus fraternity “failed to protect her from a dangerous student who had a history of sexual assault.” According to the suit, the woman’s attacker, who was also an athlete at the school, pinned her down in a room in the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity house and “raped her in December 2016 when she was 18 years old.

Trump Administration Agrees to Protect Humpback Whale Habitat

August 28, 2018

Late last week, President Trump and his administration agreed to protect a humpback whale habitat in the Pacific Ocean. The agreement was announced after American Indian and conservation groups sued the government for leaving the whales vulnerable to “ship strikes, oil spills and entanglements in fishing gear.” The groups that filed the suit in federal court included the “Center for Biological Diversity, Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation, a nonprofit that represents American Indian tribes.”

Babyganics Settles Lawsuit Accusing it of Violating Marketing Laws

August 24, 2018

As any parent knows, the baby aisle at any grocery or retail store is overwhelming for even the most seasoned among us. With endless brands to choose from and varieties of products to sift through, dashing to the store for a replacement sippy cup or bottle of lotion can turn into an hour-long ordeal in no time. This is especially true of product labels are confusing or misleading. In fact, when this happens, some parents just opt to file lawsuits. That’s exactly what happened earlier this week. A group of parents filed a “class-action lawsuit alleging that the language used on Babyganics packaging, such as the name ‘Babyganics’ and terms like ‘mineral-based’ and ‘natural’ violated marketing laws.”

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